Los Angeles businesses and freeways flooded after heavy rain soaks SoCal

A powerful winter storm moved through Southern California on Monday, leaving some parts of Los Angeles flooded with even more rain in the forecast. 

The rain started early in the morning and continued well into the night, soaking busy freeways in the midst of rush hour traffic and leaving some businesses and homes flooded. 

At around 6 p.m., SkyCal flew over the 101 Freeway near Van Nuys and Sepulveda boulevards, where several lanes heading west were covered in deep water. As drivers on the freeway's leftmost lanes traveled at normal speeds, those in the right lanes were seen driving considerably slower as water splashed from underneath their cars. 

In Granada Hills, the rightmost lane on the eastbound 118 Freeway connector to the southbound 405 Freeway was completely flooded on Monday afternoon, causing at least one car crash, which was seen via SkyCal. 

In Koreatown, the popular "Gritz N' Wafflez" brunch restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard had to close hours early after water came rushing through their front doors in the middle of service. 

Video from inside of the business showed several inches of water both in the front and back of house on Monday afternoon. 

At least 12 businesses in the Fairfax District, on Melrose Avenue near Martel Avenue, also found themselves underwater as rain continued to fall throughout the day. 

Business owners didn't blame Mother Nature for the problem, but rather a lack of action from city leaders. 

"I don't know, I had faith in this equipment, but it's a lot of money, man. These guys' salaries aren't cheap, this equipment's not cheap and if it's not working anyways, why not pay to fix the problem?" said Austin Melrose, who owns a business in the area. 

Another business called New Rock was spotted piling up damaged merchandise outside of their store as they swept the water from inside. 

"The city needs to fix the water problem, because not just me, but other businesses get flooded too," said Vahe, the store's owner. "It's a big issue."

Despite having a water-pumping truck set up in the impacted area, there were no employees who were able to operate the machinery or open the utility holes where rainwater can flow through. 

Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents the area, shared a statement with CBS LA on the flooding, which she called "completely unacceptable."

"LASAN (LA Sanitation and Environment) confirmed ahead of the storm that pump trucks and crews would be staged and actively responding, as they have successfully done in the past," her statement said. "Instead, the response was delayed, inadequate, and local businesses were left dealing with flooding and damage. We have demanded an immediate review from LASAN to determine exactly what happened, who was responsible for the breakdown, and what corrective actions will be taken right now."

Business owners say that this is just the latest in a series of issues in the same area in recent years. During the rainy season in 2025, city leaders were late to establish the pump trucks, only doing so after several businesses had already flooded. 

"We expect answers and we expect immediate change. This cannot happen again," Yaroslavsky said.

On Tuesday, the city responded to the flooding on Melrose Avenue, attributing the surge of rain to the cause. 

"LASAN crews proactively deployed to the area ahead of the storm, working around the clock to clear catch basins, remove debris, and mitigate flooding. A powerful, sudden and fast-moving storm system associated with an atmospheric river condition produced excessive amounts of rain that temporarily overwhelmed the stormwater system."

"The large Vactor truck on site during the storm was designated as backup equipment. It remained fully staffed throughout the duration of the storm and was not unattended,"  the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, LA Sanitation and Environment wrote in a statement.

Dominic DeLuca, one of the many impact store owners, shared video from Monday morning time stamped just after 11:50 a.m., showing that the trucks were empty when the flooding began. 

CBS LA has reached back out to Yaroslavsky's office for comment on LASAN's statement on the matter, but has not yet heard back. 

Those wishing to place a damage claim with the Los Angeles City Clerk can visit the city's website.